Out of Sight
by too many stars to count
Summary: After the war Harry, Ron and Hermione have trouble letting the others out of their sight. A friendship fic. Slight R/Hr. Please read and review!


**A/N:** This was a comment fic written for the prompt "trio, post-war, our battles have barely begun". Enjoy and please feel free to review!

Out of Sight

_Ron_

The last time he let Harry out of his sight, the git tried to let Voldemort - funny how much easier it is to say his name now that he's gone. or maybe it's just pathetic - kill him. Trying to protect Harry has become second nature by this point anyways. Ron can't help but start to panic whenever he can't see the other boy.

He wakes up screaming Hermione's name the first time they all try to sleep in their own rooms in their flat. He can still see that knife at her throat, hear her voice stuttering out lies - how brave she'd been lying in the face of torture like that.

Harry tears into his room, throwing the door open, wand at the ready. Ron is still trying to find the words to say that he's okay, everything is fine, when Hermione's screams make both their heads turn. Harry's out the door first as Ron shoves his blankets off grabbing his wand from the bedside table.

By the time Ron gets there Harry is kneeling on the bed, wand away, trying to wake a still-screaming Hermione. He's gently nudging her saying her name low and sweet and Ron's struck by a memory of doing the same thing to Harry 5th year. She's crying and screaming and struggling and then - she punches Harry square in the jaw and she wakes up her wand already in hand.

Harry reels back and let's her go, Ron sees him reach for his wand instinctively and then let it go. He looks at Ron helplessly and Ron peels himself from the door frame and goes to Hermione.

"I - oh my - I'm so sorry!" Hermione says crying. Ron gathers her to his chest murmuring softly to her. Harry sits on the bed one hand resting on her knee.

"It's okay, Hermione. It was my fault grabbing you when you were asleep. I'm sorry." With that Hermione untangles herself from Ron and grabs Harry. She says something Ron can't hear though he catches the word "Manor" and cries into Harry's jumper.

Ron sits very still trying to push his own memories of that night away until Harry's foot nudges his. He looks up to see his best mate beckoning him to join the hug.

They spend the rest of the night tangled together. No one wakes up.

_Harry_

There are nights when he doesn't sleep.

At first he blamed it on the nightmares. Ron and Hermione woke up screaming nearly every night and Harry wanted to be there when they needed him to provide the comfort they had so often given him.

Then it was because he wanted to stay up and study. He and Ron had been accepted in the Auror program without their NEWTS - Kingsley said it would have kept them in school for another year when they needed them _now_- and the last thing he wants to do is let them all down.

Finally Hermione had suggested they all just sleep in one room. And that made the not-sleeping almost impossible to hide.

It was a good idea. They were forever running into each other's rooms at night, often falling asleep on one another's beds. They all slept in the largest bed Harry had ever seen wit plenty of room for all of them.

Some nights he comes home from visiting Ginny at the burrow to find them in one of their old beds, together, which was fine with Harry, it made the nights he couldn't sleep so much less noticeable. They always crawled in bed late at night, murmuring softly so that he would know it was just them and he'd slowly release his hold on his wand which had found a new home in the wrist holster he never takes off.

He never fell asleep anymore unless all three of them were safe in bed.

One night, after a date with Ginny, the not-sleeping came with a vengeance. Every creak and whisper of wind were Death Eaters in his head. It was only the knowledge that getting out of bed would wake his best friends that stopped him from checking their flat for Death Eaters.

A few days later he comes home to find Ron and Hermione sitting on top of the covers waiting for him. "When was the last time you slept through the night, Harry?" Hermione asks quietly.

He sputters for a few minutes trying to lie and finding himself unable to. "I don't know." Harry says eventually. Ron pulls him into a hug and the whole story comes pouring out of him. He tells them how he constantly feels like someone's behind him, just waiting for his guard to drop.

They don't say anything. The just hold him tightly until he falls asleep.

_Hermione_

The boys are playing catch high above her with a quaffle. Hermione had followed them outside a pile of book in her arms and the little bag she can't seem to do without anymore in the pocket of her robes. It's still packed as if they'll have to run any moment. She finds it ridiculous but can't bring herself to take anything out, let alone leave it at home.

She told them she was going to study - she's going back for her 7th year in the fall even if they aren't and she's terrified she'll be behind in everything - but really, she just has trouble breathing if they're out of sight these days.

She wonders sometimes if they won the War just to lose themselves.

_The theory that certain wands cores may be better suited for certain kinds of magic first arose among wand makes in the year -_

A glance up. They're still there, of course, but she feels better for looking. She's about to go back to reading when she catches a glimpse of Harry's face as he pulls up from a dive, quaffle in hand.

He looks happy. Happier than she can remember him looking in months. Even when he's smiling and laughing with them, Harry's eyes never seem to lose that haunted look.

This Harry though looks like First Year Harry. He's not constantly looking over his shoulder, or terrified, or about to collapse under the amount of pressure being put on him.

He just looks happy. And suddenly Hermione knows they're going to be okay.


End file.
